All posts tagged "windows 7"

Thursday, January 12, 2012

"OnLive is well-known for bringing games to the iPad, and now it's going to bring Windows 7."

Interesting concept, and starting today (not sure what time, as of this posting it still wasn't available in the App Store) you can download the free version of OnLive Desktop and get 2GB of cloud storage, as well as the ability to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your iPad. It also supports multi-tuch gestures. At some later date they will be rolling out a "Pro" version for $9.99 USD per month that will give you 50GB cloud storage, among other things. Also, the plan is to eventually make this available on other platforms including smartphones and OS X. You can find out more at the OnLive site.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

"In a recent report from Nielsen, Google snagged 40 percent of the smartphone market, while Apple captured approximately 28 percent -- up just barely .01 percentage point from last year."

The only thing that surprises me about this is that there are so many that desire RIM for their next smartphone operating system. Maybe that and the fact that 30% of the late adopters aren't sure what they want. You would think that with all of the information out there, this percentage wouldn't be as high.

Monday, November 22, 2010

"We already know the 2010 MacBook Air models significantly improve on the previous generation in overall performance, but how do they stack up against Windows 7 laptops of similar size? Judged solely on performance, they dominate. With Windows 7 running on Apple's featherweight machines, our test results indicate that the new Airs ran faster than all but one recent netbook or ultraportable from Windows PC vendors."

You'll note that they used the low end MacBook Air in the above test, so imagine how much faster the top of the line MacBook Air is in comparison. They also worked it through some gaming tests, and the low end MacBook Air scored an impressive 24 frames per second when playing Call of Duty, something they note that most netbooks and ultraportables are unable to achieve, let alone run 3D games such as this. That being said, the downer was with regards to battery life, with the MacBook Air scoring roughly 4 hours versus the over 6 hours the netbooks and ultraportables averaged. Oh and there is that cost difference. The article goes into great detail in the comparisons so it is interesting if you are the least bit curious about how the MacBook Airs stack up.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

"It's true. I'm switching to a Mac. Of course, I'll be switching back to a PC shortly after, and then switching back to the Mac sometime later, and then back and forth - switching from Mac to PC and vice versa - for the foreseeable future."

Confirmation of the "use the right tool for the job" mantra. A longtime Microsoft blogger is switching to a Mac, but not abandoning Windows. He claims that "... the goal is to be comfortable enough to move between machines and use the best tools on each one with as little friction as possible." Makes sense to me. This article generated lots and lots of comments, predictably flaming the author from both the Microsoft and Apple camps, interspersed with some discussions on running this type of setup using a shared keyboard and mouse (Synergy software on the PC and on the Mac). An interesting read.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

"Ordinarily, the release of a single ultraportable Mac should not be reason for Redmond to quake in its boots, but yesterday's announcements by Apple should give the Windows team plenty of reason to fear. It's not that the product itself will put that much of a further dent in Microsoft's still-massive share of the PC market. However, the product demonstrates some capabilities that the Mac now can offer that Microsoft would seem to have a tough time matching."

My guess is, no, they're probably a bit sorry that they didn't push harder (and sooner) on the SSD concept, but their market share remains overwhelming, so worry, probably not. The gauntlet has been thrown down. There -are- Windows-based laptops that match-up well with the new MacBook Air, when hardware is compared (the Sony Vaio X is mentioned). But, Mac OS X really gets a boost when run on an SSD. The instant-on (from sleep mode) really is instant. When I'm done with Windows, close the lid. Ditto for the Mac. Open the lid, both come back, the Mac almost immediately, Windows needs a bit more time to awaken.

As for building more 'iPad-like' features into the Mac, it's a good idea as long as the 'old ways' continue to work. Windows has had touch capabilities going way back as well, so as operating systems evolve, we can expect the distinctions to blur a bit. Witness BootCamp and virtualization. Admittedly one-way to this point, but maybe the Hackintosh community will succeed (and/or be commercialized).

The concept of an App Store for the Mac is intriguing. Anyone who has ever searched for software for the Mac or Windows (or Linux) knows how iffy the whole process can be. Bad code, Viruses, Spyware, Keystroke Loggers, ad nauseam, are rampant. A "trusted" source is really the Holy Grail of software, so of course Microsoft will follow. Again, who benefits besides Apple and Microsoft? All of us.

Monday, October 25, 2010

"HP released its Slate 500 tablet this week. Immediately, everyone started comparing it with Apple's iPad. But the two devices have nothing significant in common. They are in entirely different device categories and can even be thought of as opposites."

image credit: uebergizmo / HP

A well-balanced article contrasting HP's new Slate with the iPad. Different tools to get to different end results for very different classes of users. The author describes the Slate as built using technology nearing the end of the line for the WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointing devices) interface, and he thinks that in the future most mobile devices will be built using the new paradigm (as represented by the iPad), and will be predominantly MPG (multitouch, physics, gestures) computers. I do like the motorcycle vs. bicycle vision. But in real life, add an RV to the mix. Today when traveling for business, I pack a "work" laptop (locked-down, no fun stuff), that, with charger weighs say 6-pounds (~2.70 kg) - queue the RV. And quite often also an iPad tags along for down-time. In the near future I'll be able to carry an HP Slate and an iPad, at half the weight, twice the battery life, same amount accomplished - and my back and shoulders will thank me. I'll have the metaphorical motorcycle for work, and the bicycle for fun. And, as the Slate enters the mainstream, I'm sure that "fun" will be available, just as, at some point "work" will sneak onto the iPad. As the old saying goes,"use the right tool for the job."

Thursday, January 21, 2010

"Remember when Apple promised that Boot Camp would be updated to officially support Windows 7 in late 2009? It turns out that promise was a few weeks off, but the company has finally delivered, only one week after Microsoft's beloved Patch Tuesday."

Image Credit: enews.org

Ok folks, it is here, finally. Boot Camp 3.1 in 32-bit version and 64-bit version is in and with it comes support (officially) for Apple's wireless keyboard and the Magic Mouse. If you are going to upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, you can do so via the Boot Camp Utility upgrade. They have also fixed bugs associated with the Apple trackpad and as a bonus, the infared sensor on all MacBooks turns off when not in use. Read the article for more info on how to do this the efficient and safe way because I don't want you to miss anything! I may in fact do this now, I had been holding off on my older MacBook Pro.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

"The utility that allows MAC OS X Snow Leopard users to repartition their hard drives and allow a version of Windows to run on Intel-based Mac computers, was set to receive an upgrade before the end of year as promised on the company's support website. This upgrade would have permitted users to run Microsoft's new OS Windows 7."

And reports from several sources say they have indeed missed their own deadline.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

"We reckon a lot of Mac users will be dashing across to read PCR's interview with Microsoft's partner group manager, Simon Aldous, today, if only to look in black and white at his admission that Windows 7 was "inspired" by Apple's Mac OS X."

One of his quotes: "One of the things that people say an awful lot about the Apple Mac is that the OS is fantastic, that it's very graphical and easy to use. What we've tried to do with Windows 7 - whether it's traditional format or in a touch format - is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics."

But then he goes on to say they are basing it on the core Vista technology that is much more stable than OS X.

Monday, March 30, 2009

"Chances are good that almost everyone download and installing the freshly-leaked Windows 7 build 7068 ISO is installing Ultimate Edition - after all, it's the one our product keys work with and it'll run for over year with a valid key. Paul Thurrott, however, has taken the pains of installing each version- including Starter - to get a feel for what's coming. We already knew that Starter would be extremely feature-limited. How full an experience would you expect from an OS that can only run three programs at once? Regardless, one feature has been crippled that has a lot of people confused. In Windows 7 Starter Edition, the personalization option on the context menu isn't available. Worse yet, users can't even change their wallpaper."

Okay, it's not like anyone being reasonable was expecting a full-blown experience from something called "Starter Edition." Seriously. The problem is that changing wallpapers is one of the most basic things people do to customize their computer. In fact, for most people (like myself) that's all the customization that ever happens. I run stock themes on all of my computers and change wallpapers every three months or so; I'm not a huge tweaker that way. But to take even that away from consumers sounds, to me, just flat out stupid. I would say "imagine if Apple had done this," but I reckon that really is already floating through a lot of your minds already.

I have a feeling this will change before the release just based on the negative buzz it's attracting from the folks I've seen writing about it.

The linked article has a workaround for you, if you're toying with Starter Edition, because, as everyone knows, in a life without walls, you don't really need wallpaper, right?

Monday, November 10, 2008

"Microsoft announced it will be releasing a new edition of its operating software, called Windows 7, while Apple is working on its new OS X Snow Leopard. How will they stack up against each other?"

Of course this is totally tongue-in-cheek, but it's definitely entertaining; particularly if you're a Mac fanboy (present company excluded, of course).

Before the flames begin, I can truthfully say I've only had minor issues with every Vista install I've done / worked wiht so far, so I'm definitely not one of those types. Just wanted to get that one in there to save you all the trouble of shredding me mercilessly.